Bee Healthy

Buffalo WellFest set

at Convention Center

Looking to shed those extra pounds packed on over the long winter? Then don't miss Buffalo WellFest, Western New York's largest and most comprehensive healthy living exposition from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 15, at the Buffalo Convention Center, located downtown at Convention Center Plaza.

Buffalo WellFest aims to increase awareness of healthy living options and support employees and employers in developing personalized programs for fitness, nutrition, reducing risk factors, and improving health and productivity.

The event, which is being produced by Harmony Expositions, targets 700 businesses and more than 50,000 employees located within a six-block radius of Buffalo Place between HSBC Arena and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

Attendees will have the opportunity to interface with approximately 100 healthy living providers.

Confidential health screenings including blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose and body mass index are available from Kaleida Health at no additional charge. Health risk assessments and early detection and prevention screenings are also available from a variety of health care providers.

Vendors will be on hand and include traditional and alternative medicine healthy living providers; healthy choice eateries and food purveyors; fitness experts; doctors; hospital, pharmaceutical and specialty health care providers; financial planners and a variety of other wellness providers.

A farmers' market will also offer fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods for purchase.

Raffle prizes, including a weekend getaway, massage and gift baskets of healthy foods, will be among the hundreds of items given away.

Shuttle bus service is provided to and from the workplace throughout the downtown business corridor.

The cost to attend is $10 per person, but Buffalo WellFest is for employer-sponsored, group admission, pre-event ticket purchase only.

Employer discounts are available for large groups, not-for-profit organizations, public sector employers and early bird registrants.

To register online, visit www.buffalowellfest.com or call 539-5793. Space is still available for organizations wishing to participate as exhibitors or attendees.

Get school physicals

finished early

If your child is in need of a school physical, Dr. Katie Kolbert at Lifetime Health Medical Group recommends getting them scheduled sooner rather than later.

"Scheduling physicals in spring or early summer can be beneficial for both kids and their parents," the family medicine physician said.

Many children need a physical exam before heading back to school in the fall, whether for an upcoming sport or a simple shot. It should come as no surprise then that one of the busiest times of year at the doctor's office is just before school starts.

When the office is not as busy, physicians can often spend more time with the child.

Scheduling physicals early also benefits the family, giving them one fewer thing to do amidst a flurry of back-to-school activity. It also means the appointment won't interfere with summer vacations.

Kolbert suggests that parents find out now what vaccines and tests their children need for the upcoming school year, and schedule an appointment early. Schools often provide parents with a form telling what vaccines are needed, but if not, the best thing to do is consult a family doctor, she said.

Kolbert cites many reasons why annual physical exams for children are important. A yearly exam:

• May be the only doctor's appointment a child has all year.

• Gives physicians a chance to ask preteens and teens serious questions about peer pressure, sexual activity and drug use.

• Keeps a child's doctor aware of his or her development and progress over time.

• Increases the likelihood children will get needed vaccines.

• Provides an opportunity to discuss nutrition and exercise with children, in light of the increasing prevalence of obesity and diabetes in our nation's youth.

Both family medicine physicians and pediatricians can provide school physicals.

For more information on Lifetime Health Medical Centers in Amherst, Hamburg and West Seneca, visit the Web site www.lifetimehealth.org or call 205-9355.